'You can't get there from here' may soon be the motto for drivers attempting to commute from Montreal to the South Shore.

A month and a half after work began on the Chateauguay off-ramp for the Mercier bridge, crews are now ready to start replacing the bridge's deck, while working on its steel frame.

The southbound side of the Mercier bridge will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday July 16 until Monday at 5 a.m., and over the next three weekends the closure will begin at midnight Friday.

While half of the bridge is closed, lanes on the other side of the bridge will be split to allow traffic in both directions, and the bridge authority is warning drivers that using the span will be slow-going.

Champlain faces overnight closures

The Champlain bridge will also offer drivers a few headaches, at least for the very beginning of the construction holiday.

From 8 p.m. Friday, July 16, until 8 a.m. Saturday morning, two out of three lanes on the Montreal-bound side of the span will be closed while workers repair a joint.

Drivers bound for the Champlain from from the 15 South are still facing lengthy delays because of the emergency work that began in April.

Cars and trucks are being squeezed into the centre lane after they pass the southbound ramp for the 20 West, and traffic jams regularly stretch back to Cote-St-Luc road on the Decarie Expressway.

Officials from Transport Quebec admit the repair is taking a long time, but say they have no firm finish date for the project.

Jacques Cartier onramps closed until November

Meanwhile as of Monday, getting onto the Jacques Cartier bridge from the South Shore will be difficult.

On July 19 the St. Laurent and Ste. Helene street access ramps will be closed and drivers coming from that direction will be forced onto the Taschereau Blvd. West onramp instead.

Access from Taschereau Blvd. East will remain unhindered, but drivers are being warned to anticipate lengthy delays.

The work will last until November, and over the next five months there will be multiple night closures that will also limit access to the bridge.

Crews are doing maintenance work on the Ste. Helene street onramp itself.